In my pursuit of no cable bill, I have tried several different types of amplified HDTV antennas with little or intermittent success. I live in Newport Beach, California near the water and decided that I didn't want to pay Time Warner over $100 a month for basic cable and broadband anymore. This is partially because of the cost, but also because I was disgusted with the horrible HDTV picture quality resulting from TW's compression. The first step was to switch to AT&T DSL and drop their broadband and buy a Roku box which I've also reviewed. But for live TV, I bought two of these antennas and place one on each TV. Each TV received different channels and the results were better than expected but still somewhat intermittent. Each TV in different rooms received different channels and I especially enjoyed PBS programming. However, I decided to experiment with placing the antennas in my windows. The living room wasn't so great but when I placed one antenna in a bedroom window which only faces a narrow alley, I couldn't believe the results. The TV scanned 94 Digital Channels and 3 Analog ones!!! I honestly could not believe this! And every one is strong and tunes in immediately. Of course half of those are community service, foreign language and religious channels I won't watch but that still leaves enough wonderful, full 1080p high definitely programming; not one of which looks as bad as standard cable. I was already more happy than I ever was with my cable. Well, I decided to take my experiment to another level. I realized that the cable junction for my downstairs condo is in the bedroom closet right near the window with the antenna. I disconnected what was the feed coming in from the cable/street from the splitter and connected this antenna. ONE $40 antenna now drives the cable loop in my house, providing 90+ stable HDTV channels. I am happier for free! No more cable! One other thing I'll mention. I was like so many people who say, I can't go without cable; I love Discovery Channel, I love History Channel, I love CNN. This is what kept me paying for years. While we've all been locked in thinking we had to have cable, stations switched to all digital as mandated by the FCC and even more came on line. There is so much wonderful, rich, clear programming out there on the airwaves that us cable subscribers don't see. Yes, you won't see those programs anymore but you'll see different, better ones. And an internet device like to Roku will give you CNN, Comedy Central, and much more. Try this antenna, position it where you can to get the best results and cut the cable!
*** Review Update ***
I have now been using this antenna for a year and a half since I wrote that review. It is still sitting in the same window, receiving the same channels flawlessly, powered on day and night. It is still feeding the entire cable loop in my house, currently with two TV's and I'm about to add a third. I recently watched the Olympics in wonderful, full bandwidth high definition. People come to my house and they can't believe what's providing all the TV channels when they see it.
Living in this area, so far from LA and usually unable to receive anything, it seems this is a bit of an anomaly. All my neighbors have Time Warner Cable or DirectTV. It seems the side of the house may be causing the signals to focus into the alley next to the house. But this very inexpensive antenna has been reliable and in this setting has been great. If you live in a place and can't get much with it, I encourage you to keep varying the placement any way possible. Using this along with my Roku boxes, I've never missed cable.
- 5 VIDEOS
RCA Indoor, Amplified TV Antenna - Thin with 65 Mile RangeAudiovox Accessories Corporation
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Product information
| Product Dimensions | 8 x 7 x 9 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 2 pounds |
| Department | Electronics |
| Manufacturer | Audiovox Accessories Corporation |
| ASIN | B0027FGW3K |
| Item model number | ANT1650Z |
| Customer Reviews |
3.8 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank |
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| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | April 24, 2009 |
Warranty & Support
Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here [PDF ]
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Great choice for digital TV reception!
I rarely write reviews for things that don't make immediately positive impressions (or horrible ones), and this was one of the positive ones. To be brief, with this antenna I now receive signal strengths between 64-74% on a couple stations 38 miles away that I didn't get before! I did a test of signal strengths among six different stations; first with rabbit ears and then with the amplified signal of this new RCA ANT1650. The rabbit ears averaged a signal strength of 51.66% (with a low of 32% and a high of 74%). The ANT1650 received an average signal strength of 90.16% (with a low - among the tested stations - of 67% and a high of 100%)! This product was also very easy to set up. I connected the antenna to the detachable amplifier with a coaxial cable and then connected the amplifier to the TV with another coaxial cable. I then plugged in the power adapter for the amplifier (it will work about as well as rabbit ears with the amplifier's power adapter unplugged), turned on the TV, did an auto-channel search, deleted some analog stations, and was good to go. The flat antenna part can be situated in a variety of ways so as to get the best signal. You can attach it to the wall with two screws, you can set it upright with a stand (kind of like a picture frame), or you can lay it flat. For our situation, it worked best in an upright position so as to avoid being heated up by other equipment. Because it's rather inconspicuous as a shape and color, it looks good as well - certainly much better than our tv's previous rabbit ears. The only thing better would be if the tv worked without this item in the first place. Here are the signal strength results from six test stations. I tested the rabbit ears on a clear morning and tested the ANT1650 on a clear afternoon of the same day. Both antennas were placed in the same location, which wasn't necessarily ideal for the ANT 1650: With rabbit ears and clear windless weather: Station A: 51% Station B: 42% Station C: 32% Station D: 74% Station E: 61% Station F: 50% With amplified ANT1650 propped vertically and clear windless weather: Station A: 94% Station B: 67% Station C: 93% Station D: 100% Station E: 100% Station F: 87% I have since done a follow-up test with the ANT1650 laid flat and it averaged slightly better at 92%, even under windy conditions. With amplified ANT1650 laid flat and clear windy weather: Station A: 89% Station B: 93% Station C: 99% Station D: 85% Station E: 100% Station F: 86% To summarize, most of the stations look and sound great with the antenna just laying flat. Once in awhile, a problem station cuts in and out, and you have to prop the antenna up. In my case, it was just one station that was problematic. Not a big deal, though design-wise, they might've made it easier to prop up the antenna by having a built-in stand swing out of the backside.
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2010
- Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2014
Top reviews from other countries
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Abraham Alberto Guevara SánchezReviewed in Mexico on March 22, 2019
Una antena que va a la corriente eléctrica.
Muy fácil de instalar, no me gustó que trae el cable añadido a la antena, aprox 2 m si se conecta con el amplificador que incluye; Sería mejor si solo tuviera el conector coaxial para conectarle un cable a la medida de la necesidad, no noté diferencia en la señal al conectarlo o no al amplificador, que también para mi es un punto en contra, ya que va conectado a la corriente eléctrica y resta un espacio para conectar otro equipo; Sin embargo para la alimentación si tiene un cable con una longitud considerable (1.5 m aprox).Abraham Alberto Guevara SánchezUna antena que va a la corriente eléctrica.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 22, 2019
Respecto a la calidad de la señal, tiene muy buena recepción, como indica el fabricante, lo mejor es ubicarla cerca de una ventana; Situación que se puede ver limitada por la longitud del cable, pero tampoco es algo que no se resuelva con un cople y tramo de cable adicional.
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